Hi Ellen
I had a mammogram June 16,and on August 16, had a partial mastectomy. As soon as I got the pathology report, I sent an email to everyone in my address book to ask them to please get a mammogram. Prior to my biopsy, the surgeon tried to find the lump that showed on the mammogram, and he could not feel it, even though he knew exactly where it was. Since sending the email, I have heard from many women, some I do not know, that they have booked appointments. So, I am posting this to ask anyone reading this who is over 40, to please get a mammogram. It saved by life, as my cancer was invasive, is now removed, and I start radiation soon to prevent it coming back. 15 minutes every two years is not an onerous thing.

Thanks Wanda and Ellen for covering this topic! The day after Wanda's surgery, I got my diagnosis of breast cancer! It was my and my oldest daughter's birthday, but I am glad that I have a positive thing to associate with a day that would otherwise always be remembered as 'the day I found out I have cancer'. I'm a mom of 4 and I won't let this beat the joy out of my life. My mom is a survivor herself! For now I am doing an intensive chemo regimen and I loved your show dedicated to those of us watching you every day as 'chemo buddies'. Keep doing what you do!!

Hi Ellen..
wow,what a moment when u hear the words (you have breast cancer). yes ,i was diagnosed nov 3rd 09....my mom passed away of breast cancer,so right away there was no doubt ..it was gonna be double masectomy with reconstruction right away...
had the masectomy dec 10...with the left breast reconstructed right away,but could not do the right one cause i did not have enough fatty tissue with good blood flow...so i decided in march for implant ,but that got infected tried again 3 times,...did not work...so now i have a prostises..which is ok,but very annoying..
i could not have gone through this withough my wonderful daughters and husband. they took there savings and came to help me,cause i was havinga hard time with my infections ,and recouperating from the surgery...ii have the most wonderful daughters...they put Christmas aside and my daughter explained to my grandsons that Christmas was gonna be small .cause she needed to come help me...they understood ....awsome grandsons i have.my other daughter had just gone through a histerctomy but came to help me also...they are both living in maine..i live in florida...they have not come to enjoy florida since they came to help me...they just come to help mom... love my girls...i only wish i could afford to treat them to a trip that they could enjoy...but eh maybe some day.
im still having complications ....but hey i look at it with a positive attitude ..:) love life.
my husband is awsome .im so very bless..
thank you for letting me write to you...i love your show so much...
keep me laughing ...love you..muahhhh xo
jacqueline taormina..

Hi Ellen, I am a frequent watcher of your show and after reading these comments I just wanted to say I am a cancer survivor, this is my 6th year cancer free. I guest I was lucky because they caught my cancer in stage 1 and I had the kind that does not spread. After the cancer doctor recommended a full masectomy, my physician said since my lumps were so large , he felt he could get them all out. So I went with his advise and he did get them all and luckily I still have both of my own breast. I did not have to have chemo, or radiation, but took Tomaxifin every day for 5 years, and it worked. I am off the medicine, feeling fine and you cant even tell I ever had surgery.

Sorry, continuation of my earlier posting. In July 2010 I tested positive for the BRCA 1 gene and after speaking to my oncologist decided to have prophylactic surgery (because as she put it, it wasn't a matter of IF I got breast cancer but simply WHEN). In October 2010 I had a prohylactic hysterectomy, and decided to have a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy in January 2011 (one month after retiring as a high school teacher for the past 39 years). A week after my mastectomy my doctor called to say I had made the right decision as they found DCIS (ductal carcinoma in-situ) in my left breast (just like Wanda's and my Dad). Only a few months earlier I had had both a mammogram and an MRI and neither showed anything suspicious.

I am now in the midst of reconstructive surgery and hopefully will have my last surgery in November.

My point is the more we talk about this disease and people like Wanda and Christina Applegate get the message out to mainstream America, the more educated and informed women (and men) will be. Bless you Ellen and Wanda for keeping me laughing and getting out life-saving information.

Hi Ellen and Wanda, just happened to catch your
show with Wanda (one funny lady) and tuned in.
Listening to Wanda speak of her experience was almost like hearing my story.

In April of 2010 my 87 year old FATHER was diagnosed with breast cancer in his left breast. He had that breast and some lymph nodes removed. Because he had survived mouth cancer and had gone through radiation the previoius year he decided not to undergo any further radiation. However, he does take Aromacin daily.He also tested positive for the BRCA 1 gene.

Because breast cancer is so uncommon in men his oncologist suggested that my two sisters and I get tested as well. One sister chose not to be tested and my youngest sister tested negative. I tested positive for BRCA 1.

Ellen, so glad to hear your ok. Scary though, huh? That must have been a mighty big cat sitting on your chest; and to think, there was two of them???

I watched your interview with Wanda Sykes and it gave me "cold chill bumps" for the way she openly talked about her brush with breast cancer and how she handled it. I think the two of you ladies are the best for getting the word out to other women who may not know they can be in danger.

The reason it touched home so much with me is because my own breasts were a dense mass of fibrocystic cells. I regularly did my own breast examination because I was the only one who could tell which lumps were normal and which ones were abnormal. At the age of 39 I found a lump that was abnormal, went to the doctor, he ordered a mammo and they found spots in both breasts that needed to be biopsied.

Here is where I must tell you how this surgeon handled telling me this news after the initial exam, before I had even had the mammo. He had examined me, told me he was ordering a mammo, told me I could get re-dressed and left the room. As I was getting dressed the doctor tapped on the door, stuck his head in and said, "by the way Ms. Davis, I recommend you have both breasts stripped and implants put in", as if he was telling me to take an aspirin for a headache! Looking back now, I do believe I went into light shock and should never have been allowed to drive when I left his clinic in tears.

I had another surgeon do the biopsy and after the initial meeting with him, he said it was a must if I could find out about my mother's family and any breast cancer history.

Sounds simple, right? Wrong. My mom and dad divorced when I was 2 years old and my grandparents on my dad's side raised my brother, sister and I. I had only seen my mother 2 times in my entire life to remember what she looked like and I certainly didn't know anything about her or her family. However, I did know where she lived and I called information and got her phone number. It only took me two and a half hours to work up the courage to call her, after all, what was I going to say? "Hi, this is Sandy, your daughter". Finally call made and she said no, no cancer in her or her family. (I found out about 5 years ago that she had breast cancer at that time and she passed away in May 2010 because that cancer had spread all over her body.) I don't know why she wouldn't tell me but, she didn't.

Back to my biopsies. Had biopsy of each breast and they found atypical cells, which isn't cancer but, it can be cancer producing if left alone. This surgeon also recommended removal and implants. Six months later I found another lump, more biopsies, another recommendation of breast removal and implants and a referral to a breast specialist at Baylor University in Dallas, TX.

After seeing five specialists, all recommending the same thing, and telling me it will continue to be a series of biopsies and they felt it was only a matter of time until it would be cancer; I had my breasts stripped and implants put in 11/88 at the age of 42.

It did take a lot of courage because I was a single mother raising two son's, and had been single for 16 years. I now feel it was the best decision I could have ever made; especially after finding out that my own mother had breast cancer.

I'm not telling you about my personal life for any other reason other than to help you understand it was a very difficult decision to make about breast removal and implants when your a single woman. My brother, sister and I had a wonderful, loving life raised by our grandparents on a farm.

Thank you Ellen and Wanda for what you did and are doing for every woman in your audiences. You both are truly are amazing.

you are the best ellen your! you are makimg happy a lot of people you are the best keep it up non stopp luck your hole life!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats to Wande for coming on Ellen and telling everyone about her recent bilater breast removal. I, too, have DCIS, but since it is considered a 0 stage, my Oncologist suggested I take Tamoxifen for 5 years. So in January I finally ended the daily pill and am so glad to have it behind me. Now I pray I don't get cancer, because I would opt to have both removed and go thru the recovery ONCE.

Wanda, you are a hoot, and I loved you on The New Adventures of Old Christine with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Keep your chin up, and congrats on having found your cancer early and removing it as you did.

Hi Ellen,
I just heard your interview with Wanda Sykes. I love her sense of humor! I think she would enjoy my book, Most of Me: Surviving My Medical Meltdown. It's my funny and imaginative memoir about me and my diseases (breast cancer and parkinson's).

http://www.dmpibooks.com/author/robyn-michelle-levy

Thanks,
Robyn

Robyn Michele Levy
www.robynlevygallery.wordpress.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/RobynMicheleLevy
info@robynlevy.ca